Cinderella: Fusion Style
by Second daughter of Eve
Summary: AU! Meet Anna, the girl with a HUGE temper who got stuck with Mandy, Buttercup and Fuse for family. Add Dexter as the prince, shut up in Dexlabs for dislike of fangirls. Throw Ben, Gwen and the other PowerPuffs matchmaking. And you've got one weird ride.
1. Chapter 1

Hey everybody, Ive been reading fics here for a while and was dieing to write one myself. I'd just finished 'Another Cinderella Story' and am obsessed with Fusion Fall, (for now) so her ya go!

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Anna sighed as her sisters spun around her, listing chores. At least Mandy actually looked happy though, and everyone knew that didn't happen often. Her other sister wasn't nearly as bad, but Buttercup had one major temper, when she lost it something usually ended up broken. Every time their stepfather left, the other girls got Anna to do their chores as they went out.

Anna didn't mind it all that much; she was odd in the aspect that she preferred solitude to company most days. As she headed out towards the garden, Anna glanced at the tallest building in town, DexLabs. She heard it was run by boy her age, but didn't know whether that was true. The rumors in this town were unreliable, as most were the farthest thing from the truth.

She shook her head, reminding herself to get to the garden. She knew she should hurry, or their stepfather would get pissed, most likely at her. Her stepfather, Fuse, wasn't the nicest person. He had a nasty personality, and came home drunk most of the time with a girl at his arm… or more than one. Maybe those were the reasons he was on marriage number three, that and his other wives had all died. He hadn't had any kids; the other stepdaughters, Mandy and Buttercup, were from his first and second marriages respectively.

The blonde shook her head again, trying to clear her thoughts. No need to dwell on what or who wasn't at home, for now. She hummed to herself as she weeded the garden, a Latino song her mother used to sing to the young girl before she died. She remembered the words, and because no one was around, she started singing.

Her mother had really looked the part of their Spanish heritage. The only things Anna had gotten from her mother were her brains and her voice. Now while Anna was contemplating this, she heard bickering from the other side of the fence. She looked up to a red-haired boy in a lab coat arguing with a brown-haired boy in a green jacket. She heard every word they were saying but she couldn't be seen. The brunette was annoyed with the redhead, and complaining that he didn't get out enough.

"Dude, you need a girlfriend, whether it's the romantic kind or not! Gwen and I are your closest friends. Don't you ever have the urge to just get out?"

"Ben, calm down, you really don't need to be losing it. Moreover, contrary to your belief, it is not willingly that I shut myself inside. In case you haven't noticed I've got a mass of," there was a slight pause here, and Anna noticed that the red head was blushing, "of fan girls and everyone in interested in looks, and money. It is impossible to find a girl with more than that on their minds." Anna jumped up at this. "That is so not true! Not all girls are like that, so I don't know who you think you are, just assuming that!" By now, she had her hands on her hips and a fire in her eyes.

Gwen must have been rubbing off on her cousin, because as Ben noticed the same fire in the young genius's eyes he intervened. "Here's a girl, let's ask her. Which do you prefer, looks or intelligence or money?" She panicked for a moment and covered it up by acting as if she had to think on that one. "Well, I don't want someone who's a slob, and intelligence would help, and money shouldn't matter. However, neither looks nor intelligence lasts forever, so a combination of both, plus a sense of humor. Does that answer your debate?" She blew the blonde untamable curls out of her face and tried her best to look like she was still mad, but she broke down and started laughing. Both of the guys looked at her and found something funny too. The three teens were soon laughing loudly and attracted the attention of passersby.

But one could tell that none of them cared. Anna and Dexter locked eyes for a glance and everyone quit laughing. It seemed the world froze for a split second. Anna couldn't believe herself, did she, the shy one, actually get close to flirting with a guy? She gone from pissed to flirting in a split second; maybe she did need those pills…

The red haired one chuckled again and stated, "So neither one of us in right," He shot a look at his companion, "but neither of us is wrong. So it's more or less a tie." the brunette shot Anna a look and said, "You sure you don't want to reconsider?" The blonde shook her head, "But you two might have better luck with Julie down the street, she knows more about that sort of stuff than I do." She gave them directions, all the while wondering what exactly she was doing, giving her friend's address to strangers.

"By the way, who are you two?" The duo seemed surprised at the question and Anna mentally smacked herself, what if it was some sort of taboo?

"Ben Tennyson and this is Dexter McPhearson. He runs DexLabs up on the hill." Dexter glared at him and Ben rolled his eyes. She extended her hand.

"I'm Anna Collins. Nice to meet you."A car pulled up in the drive way and the girl paled.

"You two better leave, my stepfather won't be happy if he finds you here." The boys got the hint and ran down the street. _He's home early and Buttercup and Mandy aren't home, this isn't going to be good…_ Anna sent a silent prayer that he had a girl on his arm and he wouldn't remember any of this in the morning. If he didn't have a woman with him, it wasn't going to end well for Anna. _I still have bruises from last time…_ Fuse opened the passenger door and to Anna's relief there were two women. Both skimpily dressed, and all three drunk.

The minute they were out of sight to his bedroom, she ran to the phone and called Blossom.

"Hello?"

"It's Anna, dad's home early and he's drunk, please go get Mandy and Buttercup and I'll be at Julie's. Just don't let them go home." The other girl agreed, remembering the first time. He had thrown a fit and beat Anna. The other two hadn't helped him, but they couldn't have protected her. As soon as their stepfather was done, they helped Anna upstairs to tend to her many cuts scrapes and bruises.

Well, Buttercup did that, (with Anna hating it the whole time,) while Mandy had explained in her business tone, that as newest daughter of the most recent marriage, she was the one who existed when he was drunk. So subsequently, she was the one he beat. But, if she wasn't there, and Buttercup was, he would suddenly notice her.

"But I'm the first one, and he seems to actually like me. But that's just my real father's money speaking." Then as usual, they would be nice for the next couple of days until Fuse went out to party, then so did they. Well, Mandy worked on world domination, but for her that was a party.

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Hey again! You guys see that little button down there? Push it, and let me know what you think. Hate Anna? Think Dexter's out of character? Think I've done wonderfully? Please tell me.


	2. Chapter 2

However, Fuse didn't even try to keep the beatings secret, many a time while he was passed out, neighbors would help tend to Anna, or help with the house. But every time anyone tried to get the three out of their stepfather's custody, he would bribe the judge or find a loophole. Most of the town was fighting a losing battle.

"See ya later, if you need to stay over Dad's offer still stands." "I know, Julie's parents understood but he nearly destroyed their house…" She left the sentence off and said goodbye to her friend. The young blonde grabbed three bags and rushed through their rooms gathering necessities for the night and morning. She slipped on her necklace; the only possession she had of her mother's and then sprinted out the doorway, dreading the next time she would have to enter those doors.

Ben and Dexter were surprised to see Anna pass them going on the way to Julie's loaded down with three bags. Two girls met her at the door and the blonde handed both of them a bag. They spoke urgently and the boys noticed the worry etched on Anna's face. Dexter frowned and whispered to himself. He thought about all that had and was happening. Anna looking worried about her father coming home, the rumors in town, and what the three seemed to be talking about now. He quickly told his theory to Ben. "No, it couldn't be that." Ben muttered. Both boys looked at each other and knew they had come to the same conclusion.

A roar could be heard from down the street and Anna looked terrified until they noticed some moron's car speeding. The shortest girl motioned to a house across the street from the porch they were all on and the others nodded. They crossed the street and a red haired girl answered the door. She rushed out the door and threw her arms around all three girls, smashing them together. Everyone smiled, but Gwen and Anna exchanged looks, and without words with that, the red-haired girl knew how drunk the stepfather was. Max stepped out and everyone smiled, but the smiles didn't reach the eyes. Anyone could tell Gwen and Max were going to enjoy their friends company, just not the reason.

The boys watched this whole scene, and suddenly, their argument wasn't all that important. So they turned around and head for the only hill topped with a lab. Anna noticed them leaving out of the corner of her eye and made split second decision. She threw her hands to cup her mouth and shouted at them. "Dexter!" Both turned around, and stared at her, confused at why she was calling one of them. She gestured to the red head and revealed one little sentence as if she knew the secret of life.

"Her grandfather is Max Tennyson, you know, the guy that deals in off world tech." That was all that Dexter needed, and after a few introductions, the plumber and the prodigy headed down to the RV five minutes later. Ben followed them, muttering something about not understanding a word. And Mandy shadowed them down the stairs and out of the house because she wanted to know if either could help her with world take over…

Anna, Gwen, and Buttercup stayed in the living room discussing today events, namely how the shy bookworm knew the Ben Tennyson and Dexter McPherson. She told them all of the chance meeting and they all exchanged looks when Anna described Dexter. Everyone but her had come to a conclusion: _She likes Dexter_. Then again, so did every money hungry girl in town. There were fan clubs for him; it was as if he was a prince. But everyone usually knows the guy who owns the biggest employer in town. Anna had had a crush on him for a while, but always thought it silly, as she didn't even know if Dexter existed.

About sunset, the withdrawn again became part of the outside world. Ben and Dexter left, with Ben's promise that he'd be back by midnight, after maybe goodbyes during which Dexter and Anna were left alone many times. This was not lost on either one of them, and each of them resolved to talk with their friends. Dexter found a way to slip into their conversation on the way back to the labs but had a bit of trouble getting Ben to admit anything. Anna was a little more successful, only because she wove it into another topic. Nevertheless, both teens had to admit, they didn't mind spending time with the other.

Those lone moments were spent discussing books, and anything that most of their peers would never understand. He occasionally lost her, and had to explain many things, but both had enjoyed conversing with the other, and the Gwen and Ben noticed the curious stare that Anna sent to the red headed genius. She was entranced by him, by the fact that a boy her age could be anything like this one was. Likewise was he intrigued by her, she was as close to his intelligence save for Mandark, but she wasn't shut up nearly as much as either of the genii were. They were quickly becoming friends. They were attracted to each other, well, like magnets.

As the three step sisters set up in a guest room, the conversation always seems to be directed at what Anna thought of Dexter. Until Anna finally got fed up, that is. "Guys, just drop it, I already know you all are planning something." She tried to keep her temper and everyone noticed that so they backed away. Buttercup claimed the shower first, so Mandy and Anna followed Gwen and went down to the kitchen where the Max and Julie were making hot chocolate. "You three want some?" The girls concurred and the five sat around the table discussing the most random things. Julie had been sneaked an explanation by Max and so everyone started to direct the conversation to Anna's encounter with Dexter and Ben, except for Max. He felt that this was a girl thing.

To both the Max's and Anna's relief, the phone soon rang and Gwen and Julie, aided by Ship, ran to see who could get it first, tearing down a wall in their haste… Anna and Max exchanged looks. Apparently, they were expecting a call or two. "You know what Anime is right?" The older man nodded "You those spasms people have in there?" He continued nodding. "Well when some people say spasms like that don't really happen. I point to those two…" Both occupants burst out laughing and Mandy stood near the door, tapping her foot and waiting for Buttercup to get out of the shower. She came down the stairs in green pajama pants and a white tee shirt. She noticed the sitting duo still laughing and got a weirded out look on her face. "Do I wanna know?" Mandy shook her head. "You really don't want to know." She said in that way only Mandy could, keeping a straight bored face the whole time.

The female duo reentered the room at this time, and before they could say anything, Mandy stated, "Don't ask, you REALLY don't want to know."And then left the room. The other two shrugged and got the attention Max and Anna. "Blossom called, you know, Professor Utonium's daughter." Everyone nodded, knowing she and her sister lived with their father, and most the time were the closest the Dexter had to an understanding family. "Well she called us to invite us a party they're throwing next Friday, Can we go?" The girls, Julie spending the month and under Max's custody, gave the grandfather the puppy dog eyes, but they weren't needed. "Go ahead." Anna noticed Mandy reentering after all the confusion had passed, and decided to go steal the shower while she could. "Y'all have fun planning for it okay? I'm gonna go take a shower."

After she left, face Julie's fell, "Bubbles wanted to make sure that Anna was going to go." She and Gwen started to worry and everyone leaped to their feet, unless they were already there. "Max, do something, before they take it into their own hands." Buttercup muttered out of the corner of her mouth. Those two had a hobby of gently trying to make Anna more social, and giving her 'makeovers'. "Gwen, Julie, Anna most likely thought she wasn't invited. When she gets out of the shower, why don't you tell her she is?" The worry disappeared, and everyone sighed in relief.

The second Anna stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her and one in her hair, they bombarded her. "Anna! They want you to come too! We're going to get you ready before that! You're going to be the most beautiful girl there!" Anna looked at the other girls as if they were crazy. "Um, ok. Mandy? Buttercup?" The two sisters summoned entered and Anna gestured to the insane looking red head and Asian. While the stepsisters led the others out, Anna retrieved a purple tank top and white sleep pants.

She toddled down the stairs, while drying her hair, which ended in her landing at the bottom of two fights stairs, on her wrist. She couldn't stop the tears welling up in her eyes, and soon she was cradling her right hand and sobbing. Gwen, Julie (again aided by Ship,) and Buttercup were the first to arrive, demolishing three walls in process. Mandy and Max followed, one thinking of the cost of repairing the walls _again_ while the other came out of curiosity. When asked what happened, the blonde managed to speak between sobs.

"I fell down the stairs-" "- and landed on my wrist. God it hurts." Max had taken enough anatomy to know what that meant. "Julie, go get Anna some shoes, Gwen, you remember those cards in the lock box?" The young super human girl nodded. "Go get Anna's." Both girls sped off to get ready while Buttercup and Mandy walked Anna to the car. "I feel so stupid, how could I have fallen-" Anna was cut off by a hiccup, and Buttercup went to get some water, when that girl started hiccupping, she didn't quit for a while…

Across town at the same time, Bubbles coughed as she followed Blossom and Ben into Dexter's lab. "He's got to be here somewhere…" Ben muttered, waving his hand to clear the smoke in front of him. "I'm over here." They heard a weak Russian accent a couple feet over. Each Powerpuff grabbed an arm and helped the young genius out. "I think I added too-" the young boy was cut off by a round of coughing. The professor looked at the young boy. "I'll do anything but heart, brain and lungs, so we've got to get to get him to the ER, pronto." As he finished this, the genius started coughing again. All three teens looked at each other; this was going to be a long night…


	3. Chapter 3

Who ever created Fusion Fall must be a genius, so that means it's not me. (I feel so stupid, I forgot to put that on the first two chapters.)

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Thankfully, in a small town the ER is never too busy. Both groups were told they would have to wait, but not a while. "Hey!" Bubbles ran over to Gwen and soon both girls, Julie and Blossom were talking of the party. Max and the professor started a debate of foreign tech, (Little did the professor know Max was talking of off-world…) and Mandy and Ben were in their own little worlds so that left Dexter and Anna to their own devices. "Ok, so what happened to you?" Anna questioned the boy genius. She noticed a few burns and that he smelled of smoke. Dexter blushed, he really didn't want to admit to his mistake…

"I blew something up, a BIG something…" The blonde's eyes filled with worry at this, "How?" When he didn't respond, she bit her lip, a habit that she had whenever she was worried. "Should I not have asked? You don't have to tell me." "No it's all right, it's just looking back, I'm not sure how I did. Nothing had left the vial…" He left the sentence off, obviously deep in thought. Ben had come out of his private world at "Big something" and was now listening intently. "So Anna, what happened to you?" It was the girls turn to blush; she wasn't normally that clumsy…

"I fell down two flights of stairs and landed on my wrist." By the end of that statement, the girl was dark shade of maroon, and Ben was struggling to control his laughter. The genius and the girl next to him glared at holder of the Omnitrix. "What's so funny?"Max wondered out loud, seeing two mad teens and one cracking up, attracting the attention of most of the night nurses.

Dexter looked at Anna who glanced at Gwen, who grabbed Blossom's attention, who shot a look to Bubbles who tapped Buttercup on the shoulder. One after the other, the group pointed to Ben, who was promptly Gibbs slapped by Buttercup. Thanks rang out from the other teens and it was now Ben's turn to glare. A nurse's voice interrupted Ben's glaring. "Anna Collins" Anna walked up to the nurse, who directed her to X ray. "Dexter McPhearson"

The nurse took one look at him and started to giggle and lead him through the set of double doors. "What'd you blow up this time?" All the young genius did was shrug. The nurse shook her head and opened another door for him. He looked her in eye and stated firmly, "I inhaled too much smoke, and I've got several second and third degree burns." As if used to this, the nurse scurried to prepare everything for the doctor. When a rich sixteen-year-old boy, one who happens to be the city's largest employer, comes into the hospital, a doctor sees him.

The doctor promptly enters, looking confidant but nervous. Well, what do you when the kid you're seeing probably knows more about medicine than you do? The nurse scuttled over to him and they have a hushed debate. The nurse leaves in a huff, the doctor having pulled rank on her. After a quick exchange Dexter leaves, his head in several bandages and holding a small inhaler.

Anna comes out, wrist in a cast and holding several small bottles. As she rounds a corner, she runs straight into Dexter. They tumble and her head slams into the wall as his back slams into the floor. Shortly after that, the pair heard a door squeak and Max, the professor, the Powerpuffs, Gwen, Julie, Ben, and Mandy pour into the hallway. They take in scene, which would happen to be this: Anna straddled Dexter while he was pinned between the blonde and the floor. Someone coughed and both teens on the floor were brought back to reality, awkward reality. "Um? Anna?"

His eyes met hers and both blushed, she knew what to do without words. She stood up, and held out her good hand for him. He took it and she pulled him and quickly pulled her hand from his, the slightest tinge of pink now painting her cheeks. Both teens brushed themselves off and were practically mauled by Gwen, Julie and the Powerpuffs.

An awkward silence fell over the room, as the group shuffled passed the doors and into the ER. "Anna?" Bubbles whispered in the line to the outer doors. "You are coming right?" Confusion reigned over the other girl's face until she remembered the party. "Definitely. Wouldn't miss it for the world." What Anna didn't know is that the Powerpuffs had been let in on the secret by Ben right before Dexter's accident. Blossom met the blonde's eyes.

"_He _won't stop you from coming?" Buttercup chose then to enter the conversation. "He better not, or he's gonna have another thing coming…" It didn't take a genius to notice the fire in the black-haired girl's eyes or the fact that both Mandy and Buttercup cared for their stepsister, but neither knew how to show it. Through they did occasionally find ways. Everyone said goodbyes as the groups split up for their respective cars. Anna caught up to Gwen and leaned in towards the red head's ear.

"Ok, I've got it bad for him. What do I do?" The other girl grinned; this was going to be interesting, to say the least. The super powered girl nodded to the blonde, and her mind started forming a plan. She had a lot to do before Friday…

Everyone in the Tennyson household was hoping for a quiet week to lead up to the party. Gwen and Julie wanted plenty of time to work on Anna, Ben wanted to try to help Blossom and Bubble try to convince Dexter to attend the party, (Which it didn't look like he would short of a miracle…) and Max wanted to get the walls replaced, and have them last a month.

Everyone in the Utonium household wanted a quiet week as well. Blossom and Bubbles were constantly pestering their pseudo-brother to come to their party, the professor had a list of experiments he wanted to finish and Dexter just wanted to be left alone. Nevertheless, his sisters and his best friend had an ace up their sleeve…

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If you've never heard of someone getting Gibbs' slapped, search it on Youtube, I can just see Buttercup doing that...


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! GirlyGeek, Lightning Bird and I have come up with this idea of submitting a list of names of people who think an IMing system on this site would be nice. Just PM if you think it'd be a good idea.

BTW, whoever thought of Fusion Fall is a genius, I'm certainly of average intelligence. :)

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Two days came and went, making it Wednesday, and halfway to Friday. The trio of stepsisters was back with Fuse, who was looking for his stash of alcohol, again, even though it was right behind him. So it can safely be assumed that a blind, deaf and nose-less guy could tell he was drunk. With Mandy nowhere to be found, Anna and Buttercup were in the kitchen cleaning, Anna singing along to the radio. "You really like him don't ya?" Anna started at her sister, trying to play innocent. "Like who?" The other girl scowled. "Anna, you can't act very well. Dexter, you idiot!" In return, the blonde frowned, why was she so easy to read?

Anna wasn't the only who couldn't get any slack, Dexter was currently running updates to his system, to try to convince Ben he wasn't going to get himself hurt again. Needless to say, Ben wasn't buying it, and he definitely wasn't going to leave the genius alone. "Tell me, in _small _words, why you don't want to go Friday." The redhead took a deep breath; this would be the fourth time in the last hour that someone had asked that question. "Because, parties usually evolve peers, I'm really not fond of other people my age." The Powerpuffs and Ben had gotten used to assuming they were exceptions to this, but some days they weren't really sure. Bubbles stuck her head in the lab door, and screamed down to the guys. "HEY!! IT'S TIME FOR LUNCH!!!" Knowing that broccoli was on the menu, the genius dropped everything, and he and Ben walked out the laboratory.

"Ok, I really fond of him, but, um-I-" That was all Buttercup got out of her sister before the phone rang. "I gotta go get that." She skidded to the phone just before the machine kicked in. "Hello? Blossom?" "You're looking for Gwen?" "Wrong number; try the other one she gave you." "Yes, I'll be there Friday." "Ok, bye" After hanging up the phone, the blonde looked at Buttercup who gestured to Mandy, who in turn motioned upstairs towards their stepfather's study.

A second later several loud brash sounds were heard, followed in quick succession by several curses. The three sisters looked at each other and ran back up the stairs. One quick round of packing and some running later the three girls were sitting on the swing on the Tennyson's front porch. It seemed the four were out, so the girls would have to wait.

"And why are we doing this again?" With every word, his agitation and his Russian accent became thicker. He loved Bubble and Blossom, but hated the fact that every time they threw a party, they needed both the professor and himself to judge. He would much rather be back in his lab, finishing that systems update.

The professor looked at the boy who was nearly his son, not really sure how he'd like the answer. "Because we'd have to face two very annoyed superpower girls, and I'm pretty sure you know what would happen." So they waited for the two sister to find their perfect outfits.

After figuring out that Max wasn't coming anytime soon, they stowed their bags in his RV and headed for the nearest bus stop. After boarding the bus, Buttercup stated she needed to find an outfit for Friday, and Mandy shared a look with Anna, wasn't what she had good enough for the girl?? But after being on the receiving end of a glare, both girls agreed that they would go to the mall. Mandy leaned over towards the other blonde. "Either way, we can let her go shop, you can look at books, and I need to check for a package." Anna nodded to her sister's proposition, and resisted the urge to ask what the package was. _But, _she silently reasoned to herself, _with Mandy, do I really want to know? _

As the bus pulled up and the three girls got off, who would they run into but Gwen, Julie, Ben and Max? Anna, looking at Julie and Gwen, realized she was out numbered. Mandy, foreseeing what was going to happen and not being the target, escaped while she could. Ten minutes and some dragging later, the Tennysons, Julie, Anna and Buttercup entered a store just as Dexter and the Utoniums were leaving.

The girls caught each other's eyes, and it didn't take long for them to get in a little huddle while Buttercup went on a head. Both the professor and Max were grateful for some adult company, while Ben, Dexter and Anna exchanged looks that said 'We really don't want to be here.'

Apparently, the girls had something planned, because with a little persuasion, they convinced Dexter and the professor to join Ben and Max for judging. With that, Anna's heart sank; there was no way she was getting out of this now…

"A HA!!!" We've found it!" Anna sighed, as did all the guys and Buttercup, this wasn't the first time they'd said this, and it was the third store they'd been to. But after five minutes of hearing rustling clothes, four jaws dropped.

It was a purple sundress, paired with plain wedge sandals. The dress had a halter-top and faded into tie-die style white at her knees. Her hair was up in a quick messy bun, and the dress had a low enough cutting to show off her necklace, its silver star seeming to gleam.

Both men looked at each other. _Was that even the same girl?? _Ben looked at Dexter, but the genius's eyes were glued to the blonde. He wasn't close to any girls save for his sisters and none of them had ever looked like this. Well, they had, but by that time they were much too close to him for him to think of them like that. But Anna, he knew her, but not like he did the others. Moreover, he couldn't help noticing that the purple at her neck perfectly matched his gloves…

She felt self-conscious from the second she stepped out. She had never been fond of dresses or skirts, preferring jeans. But as she watched herself turn around in the mirror, she had to admit she looked good. The four girls behind her silently applauded each other as they watch the guy's reactions.

It didn't take much longer after his last thought for Dexter to compose himself. This wasn't like him. _What is making me like this?? _ Confusion is not an emotion easily or commonly attributed to this genius, and still it didn't take long for him to figure out he was going to need help, because, for once, he had no clue what to do.

Apparently finding an outfit had set the girls on a roll, because they insisted on giving Anna a makeover. Buying makeup, getting pedicures and manicures, the works. Max, the professor and Ben felt sorry for her, (And Dexter's eye had been caught by a piece of technology…) but God gave women 'The Look' for a reason, and the three backed off, lest they get dragged in again. So to Anna's dismay, she was abandoned. Again.

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If you could please push that little purplish-blueish button down there and tell me what you think, I'd be very grateful.


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own anything, 'cept Anna and the words on the page....

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It was Friday afternoon and Anna's mind spun with confusion, nervousness. What would the night be like? Would Fuse leave so they could finally get out? And most important to her, would Dexter be there? Gwen and Julie had come over to help 'get her ready'. To her, this meant torture. Sitting there, having no control over what would happen and what she would look like, having her eyebrows plucked, face and eyes painted, her hair pulled and pinned up, she hated all of it. So why did they have her now in a chair, with minimum resistance? Simple, they told her repeatedly that it might get a certain redheaded genius's attention. They hadn't said it out loud, but they had dropped heavy hints.

It was couple hours till the party and Dexter was wondering why in the world his three sisters were so worried about a party. Didn't they know the night would probably go off without a hitch? _Then again, _the redhead mused to himself,_ it's probably the small chance of that happening that would keep them worried. _The professor stood behind him, staring at the young genius. While completely at home in a lab, a party was not part of his domain. And his father knew that. The prodigy hated the thought of being surrounded by people who would never and could never understand him. And the music would be horrendous in boy's opinion, and he wanted nothing more than to barricade himself in his lab and try to wait it out.

They all piled into Max's RV, Ben quickly claiming the front seat, to escape three party happy girls, and two girls who wanted out. Mandy was quietly formulating her own little plan to escape, and Anna's heart was beating at a mile a minute. _Why did I ever agree to this?? _She questioned herself. _Oh yeah, because I'm head over heels for a red head, Russian sounding genius. Wait, I need to quit having these conversations with myself. _The blonde shook her head, trying to clear he thoughts, but yet they always strayed back to a certain someone…

…_.Several hours later…._

Anna looked up and found herself staring into the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Behind the red headed holder of those eyes, Ben, Buttercup, Blossom, Bubbles, Gwen's jaws dropped. Dexter was out, in a party, on a dance floor, something was definitely different. He took one of her hands in his own, and slid his other around her waist, and gestured for her other hand to occupy his shoulder.

The guitar starts a tango and as the band joins in, the mood quiets down, just as Mandy planned. Buttercup has Mandark up in the light booth, creating a graceful Latino mood. The self proclaimed evil genius isn't happy that he has to help his enemy, but Buttercup can be very persuasive.

She complied and he spun her, rather quickly. He then stepped forward, and she automatically followed him. A few people quickly caught on and whispering could be heard as others found and told their friends. Little by little the pair gained an audience. He then lead her sideways for what seemed like forever, and gently held her waist as she kicked one foot up.

She was catching on, a bit slowly, but she was catching on. By now, the entire room had caught on, and was wondering who Anna was, as everyone knew Dexter. Then she straightened back up, and twirled out to arm's length. He quickly bowed and she grabbed his hand and spun him. They ended the song with a graceful dip, so her ponytail was touching the floor. They stay together like that for another eternity… or at least till Kevin started hooting. Then the spell was broken, and the two quickly separated.

But they stayed in each other's company for the rest of the night, just speaking a few words here and there, each praying they didn't make a wrong move.

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Wow! That's long for me! See that little button down there? please push it....


	6. Chapter 6

I don't even own the game! PS The song is 'Can't Stop the Moonlight' by LeAnn Rimes if you want the remix, just ask.

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They meandered their way to Dexlabs and walked its extensive grounds, including its green houses. Anna's eye lit up as she noticed the familiar shade of the distant glass. "Is there any chance I see the plants?" She asked like a three year old in a candy shop, and Dexter couldn't say no.

He told her about every plant in there and she asked several questions about each. "And this one is Cuminum cyminum in Latin; can you guess the common name?" The red head had quizzed the blonde several times like this, and each was the same answer. "No, Dexter, I don't speak Latin." She tried to sound annoyed, but it was impossible. She was learning so much, and she was a diehard nerd. "Try it, it's a cognate." "How is it spelled?" "C-u-m-i-n-u-m-c-y-m-i-n-u-m" he rattled off as if he had been spelling it all his life. "Cumin?" When her companion nodded, she nearly squealed. _Wow, I'm turning into Bubbles. _She thought to herself.

When they had finished the greenhouses, they found their way to the boy's lab. And here an hour later, they were heard in a heated argument about the Odyssey and whether or not Homer's objectification of women was correct or not, taking the times into consideration, of course. What the professor and Max found the oddest was the way they found the two debaters. They were found arms folded; faces red, and face to face with each other. Now the reason this was funny, is that they were both trying not to smile and laugh, and it showed in both their faces.

After being dragged away from each other, they two calmed down, save for Anna having a couple fits of laughing. Dexter's three sisters had taken Anna up to their rooms, and were giving her the 'talk'.

The feeling of being that close to her, it drove him crazy, but he couldn't explain it. It was almost Nightingale syndrome, but he had neither healed her, nor had she tended to him. But the professor and Max knew that Dexter was head over heels.

His face, his eyes, his voice, she loved all of them, and could see no fault in him, save for the fact that he was stubborn. And she just saw him as dedicated. She had never felt like this, nor had she ever seen it. Buttercup, Blossom, and Bubbles knew she had it bad for the red head.

But how to get together? Both were smart enough for simple matchmaking and neither of them knew how to navigate a date. That was a bit too much for them. Then Bubbles had an idea, and the three super heroines speed down to see Dexter.

They set the plan in motion the next day. Anna received a small envelope in which there was a short poem.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.  
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height  
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight  
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.  
I love thee to the level of every day's  
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.  
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;  
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love with a passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose  
With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,  
Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose,  
I shall but love thee better after death.

And using the PO box return address, she replied.

Under a lovers' sky  
Gonna be with you  
And no one's gonna be around  
If you think that you won't fall  
Well just wait until  
Till the sun goes down

Underneath the starlight  
There's a magical feeling - so right  
It'll steal your heart tonight

You can try to resist  
Try to hide from my kiss  
But you know  
But you know that you can't fight the moonlight  
Deep in the dark  
You'll surrender your heart  
But you know  
But you know that you can't fight the moonlight  
No, you can't fight it  
It's gonna get to your heart

There's no escape from love  
Once a gentle breeze  
Weaves it's spell upon your heart  
No matter what you think  
It won't be too long  
Till you're in my arms  
Underneath the starlight - starlight  
We'll be lost in the rhythm - so right  
Feel it steal your heart tonight

And so the correspondence continued. Over weeks he would send her poems, and now and then a small gift. One was a teddy bear, with a note that told her

Hug this as you would me. And she did.

Slowly he won her won over as some poetic Romeo, and she his Juliet.

Now, he knew that he was writing these things to Anna, but she knew not who her Romeo was. And the correspondence wasn't all the matchmaking trio, now joined by Ben, Gwen Julie Max and the professor, had up their sleeve.

The Utonium house became a second home to Anna and everyone found out a surprising fault. She couldn't cook; they had found that out after a bad batch of cookies and some laughter, she could make water burst into flames. Dexter had tried to do the same in his lab, but it seemed to be a unique talent to the blond. So he cooked, while she set the table with his sisters. They chattered away while she stayed silent, her eyes either on the genius at the stove or on the table. This did not go unnoticed, but either the girls or the genius himself.

It was a stalemate, until Dexter would reveal himself to her, which he wasn't quite sure how to. He had a theory that she felt the same way, but wasn't sure. Whereas Anna still felt for him, but also for her eloquent Romeo. She wished they were the same person, but didn't know Dexter had a way with words.

Buttercup and Mandy noticed a change in their sister as did Fuse. She now danced as she did her chores, only when she thought no one was looking. Fuse did not like happiness, especially when it made people daydream and neglect their work. He saw no use for love, only marring for money. And that's when Mandy and Buttercup became pawns.

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Cliffie! And the plot is picking up! And I hope she doesn't seems like a Sue now that she's got some faults.


End file.
